Assembly Member Robert Rivas, 30th Assembly District AB 3005: Expedited Dam Safety for Silicon Valley Act Protects Lives & Property from Dam Failure Built in 1950 to the safety standards of the day, Anderson Dam would not withstand the current maximum credible earthquake on the nearby Calaveras and Coyote Creek faults. A breach of the dam at full capacity would have catastrophic consequences for life and property, inundating an area extending more than 30 miles northwest to San Francisco Bay, including the cities of San José, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Milpitas, and more than 40 miles southeast to Monterey Bay, including the cities of Morgan Hill, Gilroy, and Watsonville. Reduces Flood Risk for Downstream Communities In February 2017, a series of wet storms filled Anderson Reservoir, resulting in flows over the dam’s spillway that were beyond the capacity of Coyote Creek. The creek flooded homes and businesses in economically diverse neighborhoods in The Leroy Anderson Dam and Reservoir, owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water), has been determined by local, state, and federal officials to be at risk of an uncontrolled release of water, caused by an earthquake, that could inundate cities and rural areas from San Francisco Bay south to Monterey Bay, including much of Silicon Valley. The Expedited Dam Safety for Silicon Valley Act will facilitate the speedy and expert construction of the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project. San José, including disadvantaged communities and communities of color, requiring the evacuation of 14,000 people. The dam’s outlet, used to draw down the reservoir in an emergency, is too small by modern standards. In advance of the 2017 storms, the outlet had been releasing as much water as possible for over a month and still the dam spilled. Clean, Safe Drinking Water for Silicon Valley Anderson is the largest reservoir in Santa Clara County and it is a critical part of the region’s drinking water supply. With a capacity of nearly 90,000 acre-feet, it holds enough water to supply a million people for a year. Anderson is larger than all of Valley Water’s other reservoirs combined, and is a vital local source of water. Critical Dam Safety Improvements The Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project is estimated to cost $563 million and will remove and replace the existing earthen dam. The new dam will be constructed to modern seismic and dam safety standards, including increased capacities for the spillway and outlet to allow a rapid, controlled draw down in an emergency. These features increase dam safety and incidental flood protection. The project design is 75% complete and incorporates the best available geologic, geotechnical, and conservation biology data. The draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be released in the summer of 2020 and the final EIR will be certified by April 2021 with construction to start in October 2022. Authorizes “best value” selection of the construction contractor and requires a skilled and trained workforce for the project. Expert Construction Provides expedited judicial review of challenges to environmental documents issued in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Timely Court Decisions Requires expedited processing of state permits by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the State Water Resources Control Board, with costs covered by Valley Water, not the state. Faster Permitting SUMMARY BACKGROUND Anderson Dam spillway flow cascades into Coyote Creek behind neighborhood